The W-`ühini

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New from Venice, California comes the W-`ühini aka “The Grasshopper,” an agile W built at the Emporium Of Postmodern Activities by Michael Woolaway. The `ühini namesake comes from the Hawaiian word for grasshopper, an energetic inhabitant of the rainforests and lush farmland on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii where Woolie was born and raised. Inspired by the classic British dirt racers of the 50s and 60s, the W-`ühini is built with that very purpose in mind, not only with the shape of the tank, but with the rest of the bike equipped to keep on hopping when the paved road ends. The lightweight one-off chromoly framework distributes the weight of the bike perfectly 50/50 with the geometry of the fork and swing-arm to handle unpaved turns like a Grand National dirt track racer – pitching in sideways and holding stable thru corning and acceleration. Sufficient rear braking power is provided by a NOS Grimeca master cylinder that actuates modern Brembo calipers. The grasshopper green paintwork is a new one for Woolie, with fourteen coats of yellow and blue candy coat. Before the paint was applied, the hand-shaped brushed aluminum tank and tailpiece were bead-blasted in certain areas and left brushed in others. The result is a radiant luminescence that changes with the angle of perspective and intensity of light, the brushed areas at times presenting the color brighter, while at other times the bead-blasted areas shine.